What was initially believed to possibly only be a minor injury ended up being a major setback for the Philadelphia 76ers. As reported, Tyrese Maxey is set to miss at least three weeks with a tendon injury in his right pinkie, dealing a huge blow to the team right in the middle of a tight race for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference.
Maxey’s absence will leave a gaping hole at point guard, and while there is no replacing the All-Star’s elite production, their most recent win over the Grizzlies showed a glimpse of how they plan on filling in for him in the interim. Cameron Payne did not start the game, but he finished the night with 30 points, draining nine of his 10 shots, while also making all eight of his attempts from three-point territory.
Even better, the veteran Payne dished out 10 assists while not turning the ball over even once. It was easily the best game he has played in the last few years, and while one cannot feasibly expect those figures to subsist moving forward, his outing is a much-needed infusion of optimism as the 76ers attempt to tread water without their All-Star.
Cameron Payne gives the 76ers a massive lift in Tyrese Maxey’s absence
Frankly speaking, Payne has been far from impressive before his 30-points outburst at the expense of the Grizzlies. But with him on deck to receive a lot more minutes to fill in for Maxey alongside VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes, he will become one of the more important cogs on the squad who could very well determine their fate in the playoff race.
Currently, Philly is slotted in at 8th place in the Eastern Conference, which is rather precarious given that they would not want to be in the play-in range. Fortunately, they are only 1.5 games away from the sixth seed and a guaranteed playoff spot, which is still a very workable gap with 17 games left on their slate.
Edgecombe and Grimes will produce no matter what due to their increased workload, although their efficiency is not guaranteed. However, Payne’s production will be the biggest pendulum swinger. If he cannot provide solid numbers in scoring and playmaking, Nick Nurse and his staff will be forced to tap into the likes of Kyle Lowry, which is a horrible scenario to envision.
Hopefully, Payne can keep being a solid contributor in and take advantage of his increased minutes. His value on the roster has never been this high, and with Tyrese Maxey out, it will be up to him to help keep the team afloat.